Pupils are taught to program (or "code") in Scratch: an amazingly sophisticated pictorial programming language developed by Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It is free and can be downloaded for use at home on Windows computers (see resource links below). Pupils produce animated stories and interactive computer games of increasing sophistication.
Being able to produce a web page that can be uploaded to the World-Wide Web is a valuable skill. Pupils are taught to program in HTML, the international standard for web pages. We do not use templates to produce web pages but, rather, code directly in HTML using simple tools such as Notepad. This website was produced entirely by using Notepad. This means that pupils are not dependent on a template to enable them to produce web content and will allow them to evaluate the benefit of such templates should they wish to in the future. Additionally, HTML is a text-based language that introduces pupils to text-based programming (as opposed to Scratch that is highly pictorial in its functionality). In text-based programming, spelling mistakes and syntax errors must be identified and corrected before any pages are uploaded. As part of ensuring a "wow" factor, pupils' web pages are uploaded onto a specially procured website.
Pupils are given the opportunity to develop real, live apps that run on Android (Samsung, Nexus, LG etc.) tablets and smart phones. They are uploaded to the internet from where they can be downloaded onto any compatible tablet or smart phone worldwide. This is achieved using a development tool (AppInventor) produced by Massachusetts Institute of Technology. See the link under resources for more information. The development process involves synchronising laptops (on which the programming takes place) with Android tablets on which the program actually runs. For examples of apps developed by pupils, see the link in the resources section.
This is a 3D drawing package that is proving very popular with pupils. From basic 3D shapes and simple housing structures, pupils are able to integrate Sketchup projects with their topic work. For example, year 4 pupils can progress to building Roman temples, villas and mosaics; year 5 pupils build virtual Aztec pyramids and year 6 pupils produce a detailed wartime Victorian terraced house complete with Anderson shelter.